Shutting Down the Barrier
by Schadenfreude62
Summary: A story about what happened when Jake and Goldie shut down the barrier. Disclaimer: not mine, duh.
1. Chapter 1

**AN- This idea just popped into my head, and I decided I might as well type it up. This is basically what happened when Jake and Goldilocks lowered the barrier. The best part of this, though, is that Jake is the only one who's described at any length in the books, so I can't make this completely out of character. Woo-hoo!!!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, except, of course, for the I-really-hate-disclaimers club. I wouldn't even do these if I wasn't scared of being sued.**

Chapter 1: Jerky

"Are you sure this will work, Jake?" asked Goldilocks uncertainly. Baba Yaga's house was definitely not a trip to Disneyland. Spell books had been tossed carelessly on the floor, magical items littered every surface, and she didn't even want to know what kind of stuff was floating around in the various jars. "I'll be able to get through the barrier?" _And this house_, she added silently.

Jake looked up from the skin-covered spell book. "Of course it will work. Why wouldn't it?"

"Well, it could be just a trick to, oh I don't know, catch any everafters trying to escape so that the old hag doesn't need to make a trip to the grocery store," she said, genuinely worried. It sounded like something the ancient, Russian witch would plan.

Jake merely laughed, but it seemed to Goldie that he was just trying to make her feel better. It wasn't working. "We'll be fine. All we need to do is find the spell, get you out of Ferryport Landing, and then I'll get Hank." Sure it sounded good, but would it really be that simple? Jake must have seen the look of uncertainty on her face. "Everything will be fine," he repeated. "Hank will love it, I guarantee you."

Goldie sighed, and opened her mouth to reply when she was cut off by Jake's ecstatic cry of, "I found it! I've got the spell. From the look of it, we'll have two minutes after we cast the spell to get you beyond the barrier's reach and then it will come back into effect."

"So can we get out of this house?" she asked, relieved. It was about time. This house was creeping her out and she couldn't shake the feeling something bad was going to happen. Right on cue, the front door slammed open and the hag of the hills was standing in the doorway.

"I was just about to suggest the same thing," she said, looking murderous. She surveyed the room and her eyes settled on Jake. Or more accurately, what he was looking at. "Jacob Grimm, stealing my most prized spells. What a _wonderful_ surprise." She licked her lips as she said the word 'wonderful'.

Jake gulped audibly and stuttered, "U-um w-we were." He cleared his throat. "We were just looking for you, but y-you weren't here, and we w-were just about to l-leave, and then y-you showed up." That boy's a horrible liar.

"Well I'm here now. What do want? And why were you looking at my stuff?" she demanded, already knowing that she had us.

Goldie stepped in, figuring that if Jake took the entire blame she'd never forgive herself. "It's really not his fault. It was my idea." As the old crone turned to glare at Goldie, though, she couldn't help thinking that even if she felt bad about letting Jake take the blame, she'd still be alive. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jake take out a belt from his pack, but Baba Yaga didn't seem to notice.

"So Goldilocks, what were you looking for?" she asked, grinning wickedly. It was clear the witch didn't mean for her to answer. "The spell that shuts down the barrier perhaps?" she continued.

Goldie stood there, too terrified to answer; the rumors of the hag's cannibalism running through her head. Just as the witch took a step toward her, however, Jake grabbed her arm. He said something that Goldie didn't catch, and suddenly, they were standing by the barrier.

"Gnome king's belt," Jake explained, looking around, trying to figure out exactly where we were.

As it turned out, they weren't far from where they had come from. Close enough, in fact, to hear Baba Yaga shriek, "JACOB GRIMM, IF I EVER SEE YOU ON MY PROPERTY AGAIN, I WILL EAT YOU ALIVE AND USE YOUR BONES FOR TOOTHPICKS. I WILL MAKE JERKY OUT OF YOU. DO YOU HEAR ME? JERKY!"

Jake fainted.

**AN- So…what'd you think? Should I continue this?**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN ~ I'm super sorry it took me so long, but here's the next chapter. I'm thinking there'll be one, maybe two more chapters and it'll be finished. Hope you guys like it!**

**Dedication: To Ayns and Sky because they (well Sky) reminded me that I even posted this story. I'm sorry for even forgetting.**

Chapter 2: Shutting Down the Barrier

"Jake," Goldie said, shaking his shoulder. "Jake, it's time to wake up now." He rolled over onto his shoulder and mumbled something incoherent. "I'm serious Jake. Please wake up," she said and shook him a little harder.

Something fell out of his pocket and Goldie picked it up, curious. It was a picture of Snow White. "Typical," she murmured before returning it to his pockets. Finally, he started to wake up.

"Where are we?" he asked groggily before remembering what had happened. He instantly paled, but managed to sit up.

Goldie couldn't resist. "Hey! How about after we finish up here, we go get some nice, delicious jerky?" She felt a little bad, but it was hilarious to see him glaring at her.

"Look, let's just get this spell over with," he said, pointedly changing the subject while scanning the spell. "Looks like we just need to chant a few phrases and we're done. Here's what we'll need to say."

After looking at the page for a few seconds, Goldie exclaimed, "But this is all gibberish! I thought the spell would at least be in English."

Jake rolled his eyes. "Oh come one. Just give it a shot. It can't be that hard, right?"

Sighing, she said, "Fine."

After chanting seemingly random words such as "cleeber" and "foodle" for about five minutes, the spell finally seemed to be working. They said the last word (or just letters mashed together depending on who you ask) and all of a sudden the barrier changed from being just an invisible outline to a pulsing, light blue dome surrounding the town. The blue blended in almost perfectly with the cloudless sky, making it almost impossible to see. But it was there, nonetheless, and cracks were starting to appear.

Jake turned to her, "Okay, as soon as this thing fades, you have a minute and a half before it comes back up. No dawdling, got it?"

Goldie nodded, awestruck by the sight. She was finally getting out. She wouldn't be stuck in Ferryport Landing anymore. She and Henry could move anywhere, maybe even New York City. He's always wanted to go. Suddenly, the blue outline just disappeared. Well, for the most part anyway. There was a very thin layer that could only be seen if a person were to stand a foot and a half from it and stare intently. Praying that it really did work and they didn't mispronounce one of those ridiculous words, Goldie reached out and placed her hand on the barrier. It was thin, very thin, and akin to cellophane, whereas before it felt more like a big slab of cement. She looked at Jake, but he just nodded and motioned for her to go to the other side as if to say,_ "Don't worry. I knew this would happen. You'll be able to walk right through it."_

Hesitantly, she pressed harder and her hand went right through. She could still feel the barrier on her skin like cobwebs, but as soon as she walked far enough away, the feeling vanished. Looking around, it was as if she was seeing the world through new eyes. The sky seemed bluer, the sun brighter, and the trees more beautiful. _I guess the grass really _is _greener on the other side,_ she thought happily. Turning back to Jake, she gave him the thumbs up and he smiled at her. It worked. She was free!

For a moment she just stood there, taking everything in. But then she heard Henry call, "Jake, what's with this note saying that I'm supposed to meet you in some remote place in the middle of the forest?" He stopped when he saw Goldie standing outside the barrier. She smiled and waved at him, causing a goofy grin to cover his face.

"Happy Birthday Hank!" Jake yelled. "Am I good, or am I good?"

Henry rolled his eyes at his brother's boasting and ran over to Goldie. He swept her into his arms for a quick hug. "How does New York sound?" she asked him.

"Perfect," he whispered before kissing her.

"Sorry to break up this moment here, but I need your help."

They all jumped and Jake asked, "Dad, what's going on?"

A very grim looking Basil replied, "Because of your stupid shutting-down-the-barrier stunt, the Jabberwocky and Little Red Riding Hood escaped from the asylum. We need to go track them down."

Both Henry and Jake nodded, ready to help. "Don't worry; I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise," Henry called over his shoulder to Goldie as he rushed off to help his father. Goldie watched him go, not realizing that the next time she sees him, he'll hate her guts.

**AN ~ Sorry for the randomness of the spell. I was totally hyper from massive amounts of hot cocoa and I couldn't think of anything better. I'll try to update tomorrow, but more than likely it will end up being the day after.**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Okay, here it is, the final chapter! I really hope this doesn't suck. I'm never good with endings.**

**Disclaimer: MB owns the Sisters Grimm. **

Chapter 3: New York

Goldie paced restlessly around the clearing, occasionally moving rocks to make patterns on the grass. Sighing, she sat down on the large rock she had placed in the center of her temporary camp. When would Henry come? It had been almost three days since she got out of the barrier and absolutely no word from him. It was driving her crazy with worry. What if something happened to him?

Her head snapped up. Someone was coming. She took up a fighting stance and scowled in the direction of the rustling leaves, but as soon as the person came into view she ran and hugged him. "Oh Henry, thank God. I thought something happened. It's been three days."

He stiffened when she hugged him and didn't hug her back. In fact, he seemed annoyed and just stared at a spot somewhere over her right shoulder.

"Something happened all right. The Jabberwocky killed my dad and ran away. I tried to track it but it disappeared. Jake just ran off. Serves him right. Everything's his fault anyway. At least I broke his nose first," he said bitterly.

Goldie gasped. "Henry, I'm sorry about your father but none of it was Jake's fault. He was only trying to help me get out of the barrier. He did it for you. For us."

He scowled but didn't say anything.

"Henry," she said softly. "Let's just stay here and help Relda get through this. When's the funeral?"

"The funeral's already happened. That's when I punched Jacob. And anyway, Mom's fine, just mad that I punched my stupid brother and grieving for Dad."

Goldie was shocked by this. Normally, Henry would've been extremely concerned for his mother. Normally, he wouldn't punch his brother. _I guess Ferryport Landing's never exactly been normal,_ she thought. She wanted to scream at him, to demand that he tell her what's going on. But she held her tongue; he wasn't done. "I'm going to New York tomorrow. I already contacted some friends there."

"Are you sure that's what you want?" she asked.

Henry looked annoyed. "Of course it's what I want," he snapped.

"Okay," she said tentatively. "I'll come too, I guess."

Suddenly, he looked so angry that Goldie actually took a couple steps back. "No way," he snapped. "I'm done with everafters. I'm done with _you_."

Hurt and angry, Goldie exploded, "Fine, Henry. If that's how you feel then so be it. It's not like I want to get punched."

"Good," he huffed and started out of the clearing. Looking over his shoulder he called, "By the way, one of my friends set me up on a blind date. Her name's Veronica." With that, he left.

Goldie sat there for an entire hour, alternately crying and ranting angrily to herself. She knew she must look like a nut, but she didn't care. Why would he feel the need to tell her about _Veronica_? Was it just to be spiteful, or for some other reason? Frustrated, she pulled herself together and tried to forget about it. Calling a couple of birds to fly her to New York (she's got to live somewhere and she had already found an apartment there), she decided to put it all behind her and, most importantly, never, ever come back to Ferryport Landing. There were just too many bad memories.

**AN: I really hope this chapter didn't disappoint. Personally, I don't like it all that much, but I hardly ever like anything I write. **


End file.
